E045 | Happy New Year: Gifts from Viewers in 2024 (That I Haven’t Already Shown)

[@connorhart3972]

Happy new year! and cant wait to see what you have in store for this year

[@eltonfan75]

Thanks for the video and Happy New Year! I really enjoy all the nuances and differences you pick up on and share.

[@CollectingElton]

Happy New Year to you too. And thanks for watching.

[@Capt.Ego-78]

I agree with you about the Australian _Live in Australia_ labels. I prefer the bolder “Australian” color, but reversing the images caused overlap and interference with the text which had been carefully laid out around “left-sided” images. This made the text difficult to read, especially with the bolder images. I don’t think this would be an intentional choice. Just be thankful MCA didn’t use the popular fading Tan/Brown label we all love!

[@CollectingElton]

I agree. I cut it in the finished video but in the raw take I speculate that it was probably an error, based on the placement of the text, especially in the upper half of each label. That and the fact that it wasn't just the images that were reversed but their order too (using the Side 1 and 3 label image for Sides 2 and 4, etc.). Probably some intern!

[@talkaboutcinema3304]

Glad to see you finally got a mono copy of Empty Sky in some form. I'm really looking forward to that dedicated video on it. Even though I've heard some bits and pieces (the extended outro to Val-Hala comes to mind), I've never seen a full breakdown of the differences in the same way that many Beatles fans have done between the stereo and mono versions of their albums. I agree the original stereo version of Skyline Pigeon with the vocal in one ear and harpsichord in the other is definitely distracting, a problem the mono version obviously wouldn't have (there is a 1971 alternate stereo mix that fixes this issue to an extent, but as far as I'm aware, it's only available on a rare Japanese compilation). Regarding Ebenezer Moog, I definitely see your point in not thinking it's Elton. Listening to it, nothing about it immediately screams Elton. There are a couple things about it, though, that make me believe it could be him. One is the fact that Ebenezer Moog just sounds like an Elton pun pseudonym (in the same vein as Frank-N-Stein Productions). The other is that it was originally released on a different label before Rocket took over the distribution the following year, and it just seems kind of odd to me that Rocket would do that for a record that didn't even sell that well the first time, unless of course they knew that it was Elton and just wanted it on the label. Of course, there's also the fact that I'm biased and just flat out want it to be him, since I like the A-side so much. Oh well, I guess at this point, we'll never really know the full story behind this.

[@CollectingElton]

Yes, I plan to get into details like that in the forthcoming video. I prefer the stereo mix of “Val-Hala”, but my dream would be a new stereo mix with the extended outro from the mono version. I love that alternate harpsi line that plays right on the fade in the mono version. I now miss it whenever I play the song’s 1969 stereo mix. I have the 1971 Japanese comp with the alternate stereo “Skyline Pigeon” but I’ve never been sure that it’s a true alternate stereo mix. It sounds to me like an engineer has deliberately narrowed the channels of the 1969 stereo mix somewhat, to alleviate some of the “binaural” agony but without completely collapsing the channels into fake mono. The true mono mix builds momentum and Elton’s vocal is so much clearer. I just love it. About the “Ebeneezer Moog” tracks: You make a good point re: the single having been released previously on another label (Atlantic, I believe). And yes, why would Rocket take on recordings that had already failed on another label - unless the “Ebeneezer Moog” had some personal connection to Rocket? But that the recordings had originally appeared on Atlantic has always been, in my view, another reason to believe that it wasn’t Elton playing. If Elton had wanted to release something a little different, using a different label might’ve offered some advantages; but it’s not likely that another label (especially a major one like Atlantic) would’ve agreed to release recordings of his at that time without insisting that the name “Elton John” appear on the labels. What other incentive would’ve existed for Atlantic? Another thing is: I’m not sure that those early Moogs were so easy to play if you didn’t have previous training on them. Elton rarely (if ever) showed interest in playing synths of any kind, so I find it difficult to picture him learning the Moog just to record two tracks and then release them but not take credit - and/or not also play the Moog on any of his other records of the period. I’m more inclined to believe that it was someone else playing - someone that EJ knew personally - which might explain why he (or someone at Rocket) agreed to give the single a second chance on that label.

[@talkaboutcinema3304]

@@CollectingElton It's interesting, because part of the reason I do think it is Elton is that 1974 (the year the Atlantic version of Ebenezer Moog was released) is when Elton first started showing a little interest in using synthesizers. He plays the ARP String Ensemble on Someone Saved My Life Tonight (released in 1975, but recorded in 1974) and while I imagine that's probably easier to learn than the Moog synthesizer, it is possible too that someone else set it up and Elton simply played the notes. I know Ken Scott and David Hentschel generally tended to do ARP synthesizer parts on those early records, but I think that was more the result of them deciding to add them later in the process as overdubs after Elton and band had completed their parts. I recently compiled a list of non-acoustic piano keyboards that Elton played and was surprised at just how much Mellotron he played even in the 1970s. His preference is acoustic piano, but he's shown himself as being able to branch out when he wants to (he is verified as playing Polymoog on at least two tracks from 1978, Ego and Song for Guy). Of course, this is all just speculation, and you're right, it is a weird risk on Atlantic's part. The only possible explanation I could think of is maybe Rob Dickins recorded it as a favor to Elton and part of the deal involved Atlantic distributing it the first year and Rocket taking over later distribution? Who knows? And, yeah, you're probably also right about the 1971 mix of Skyline Pigeon not being a true alternate stereo mix, but regardless, it's still an interesting curiosity to have. Thank you for indulging me on these, it's always interesting to dive deep into these obscure Elton mystery recordings.

[@Capt.Ego-78]

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Gus Dudgeon briefly and I showed him this record and asked if “Ebenezer” was Elton. He said he didn’t know anything about it! (And it WASN’T said with a wink and a knowing smile!)

[@douglasstruthers8307]

Happy New Year! It is remarkable how many subtle (and not so subtle) differences there are for a single release. "Red" is a song that I really enjoy. It got a fair amount of CHUM-FM play. I have a really poor quality demo version of "Hell" which sounds like it could have been a real keeper in finished form. Is the version that you have a finished version? Those Jukebox EPs are cool! Great to see that you got your hands on "It's Me That You Need" and "Just Like Strange Rain" which are two of my favourite early EJ tracks. I had never seen that 3-track double-gatefold of "Heartache All Over the World." Good one. "Curtains" as a single! Wow. Never heard of this one. "Curtains" remains one of my favourite EJ songs all-time and it has every conceivable Nigel Olsson drum fill, to boot. Two great album tracks on a 45 rpm! Thanks for sharing these true rarities.

[@CollectingElton]

“Red” was played on Canadian radio? Wow. I’d have done cartwheels back in 1995 had I been able to buy the “Sol en Si” charity disc. But I didn’t even know about it or the song until about 1999. Then a friend of mine (who’d just jumped into the Napster thing - I wouldn’t dare) downloaded it for me and put it on a mixed CD (along with Will Smith songs, lol). It’s a great, great song. I’d like to think that Elton and Penny intended it as the album’s playout track, at least at one point. “Blessed” is beautiful, but it doesn’t close the album quite the way “Red” would have, especially with that chorus hook. And there’s sitar somewhere in there too. By the sounds of it, the version of “Hell” you have is the version on the CD. I know of only one version, and it does sound like a demo, at least because of its sound quality. It sounds like someone surreptitiously recorded a monitor mix session using a RadioShack microcassette recorder hidden in their pocket or something(!).

[@MichaelEnglish-m2j]

@@CollectingElton Matthew, don't you now have the Sol En Si CD in your collection?

[@CollectingElton]

@@MichaelEnglish-m2j Oh yes! I've had "Red" on CD for a while, although the "Sol" disc is the only legit copy.

[@EltonWhenRockWasYoung]

Hey Matt, Happy new year, and thanks for another sublime video. 😊 Regarding your comments around the 7:00 mark, 'Border Song' and 'Bad Side Of The Moon' appeared in mono on the _Congress_ label. The UNi reissue of that single followed shortly afterwards, and both sides are in stereo.

[@CollectingElton]

Happy New Year to you too! Thanks for the correction re: "Border Song" and "Bad Side". I think the "Crazy Collector" who sent me that CD had mentioned that the mono version was from the Congress disc; I'd just forgotten. One of the UNI pressings - I think it’s the Monarch variant - printed “Stereo Compatible” on the label rather than “Stereo”. Have you any experience with this disc?

[@EltonWhenRockWasYoung]

@@CollectingElton Just looking at my collection on Discogs: it seems I bought the 'Compatible Stereo' one. That's the actual disc I would've been listening to when I heard stereo mixes. Incidentally, if I bump you off, will you leave me your UK 'It's Me That You Need' single...? 😉

[@CollectingElton]

@@EltonWhenRockWasYoung Lol. 😆

[@Capt.Ego-78]

Wait!… What? Can you call ‘dibs’ following a murde… accident??

[@CollectingElton]

@@Capt.Ego-78 Ha!

[@derekking9824]

Happy New Year Matt! Thnx for the kind mention, you're very welcome. Look forward to seeing your Channel go from strength to strength this year and into the future. 😀😀😀 Wow, love that Curtains 45 I've never seen that release.😀😀😀

[@CollectingElton]

Thanks again!

[@shineonugrzydieman]

Thanks for sharing Have shared on several Elton John Facebook groups Your videos are great bringing unusual versions / country releases making me appreciate what there is out there plus what I have. Looking forward to next video

[@CollectingElton]

Thank you, as always, for sharing my videos around. Happy new year!

[@richardleclear]

Matt, happy new year! Those are some GREAT gifts, a number of which I even lack in my extensive collection. Regarding the Parlophone releases, a few of the early Elton singles were also released on Parlophone in New Zealand, but are VERY difficult to find, as I believe they were very few in number. In the Philippines, most, if not all of Elton's releases both singles and LPs were issued on Parlophone from about '71 to early '76. Most of those releases were bog standard, although a few were very unusual pairings, such as Amoreena b/w Where To Mow St. Peter?, Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters b/w Honky Cat, Sweet Painted Lady b/w Roy Rogers, Love Lies Bleeding b/w Bennie And The Jets, We All Fall In Love Sometimes b/w Writing and the Curtains single you have. There is also a very rare single of Come Down In Time b/w Love Song, which based on the catalog number was probably released in '76, around the time of the Here And There lp. I still do not know if either or both songs are live versions or just lp versions issued on a unique 45. Now to the downsides to those great Elton Parlophone Philippines releases, it is exceedingly difficult to find quality copies of these. When you can find them, they are usually played to death. Additionally, to my knowledge, none of the 45s were issued with picture sleeves in the PI. Out of 24 known (by me) singles/lps issued in the PI, I only have 9 of them, and the vast majority are in poor condition. I have a mono copy of Empty Sky, which if Discogs is accurate was a very early, if not first, pressing. One must be careful as some of these were simply sleeves labeled as mono, but the lps were stereo copies. The true mono copies have a DJL-403 catalog number vice DJLPS-403 of the stereo version. Anyway, happy 2025 Elton collecting!

[@CollectingElton]

Yes, Happy New Year to you too! Interesting about the NZ Parlo’s. I didn’t know about that. The only EJ album I have on Parlo is the 1973 “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” 2LP from the Philippines. I paid more money for it than I care to admit; and no, it’s not in the best shape. The sleeve was super frail to begin with and has a big split in it.

[@richardleclear]

​@CollectingElton That is my experience with PI releases, the covers of lps were not sturdy card stock and they were only rarely taken care of. The singles usually looked and sound like they were used as coasters as well. But such a GREAT label variation, to see Elton on Parlophone!

[@CollectingElton]

@@richardleclear Yes, when I put the 45 on my turntable, it looks like an old Beatles record.

[@Capt.Ego-78]

For some reason they released “Come Down in Time”/“Love Song” in the Philippines in 1975 and based on the run times and label credits, it was the _Tumbleweed Connection_ versions and not the live version of “Love Song” released as a promo in the U.S./Canada in 1976. As you noted, after they switched to the Rocket label, New Zealand and the Philippines (along with Argentina) continued to use “the green choo-choo” through 1978 before going electric! (South Africa stayed green until 1979, I believe)

[@richardleclear]

@Capt.Ego-78 thanks for the confirmation, that was what I sort of expected, since it was an unusual pairing. Also, the only early live version I could remember was from the Tokyo '71 show and I don't believe they would have had official access to those recordings "that *I* know of."

[@Capt.Ego-78]

Happy New Year! I, too, love those Parlophone labels! Those records were not meant to be future collectibles, and don’t tend to hold up well (especially LP covers). I agree with you that “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” does not sound like Elton John. Released on Rocket Records in Nov. 1975 by Ebenezer Moog and produced by a guy named “Dickens”, you could see this as Elton using a pseudonym to release another Christmas single on Rocket (outside of his DJM contract). However this same set of songs was released on the Atlantic label in 1974, and Rob Dickens really worked for Warner Music, UK at the time and went on to rise to prominence in the industry. I don’t see Elton choosing to play the Moog over the piano if he were going to release another Christmas single. So why did Rocket release this single, and go to the expense of producing a picture sleeve? I have no idea.

[@MichaelEnglish-m2j]

Amazing stuff! I had never seen another disc from the Philippines until you did a screenshot of Caribou and GYBR on the Parlophone/Dyna Products label. Are those two in your collection as well or did you find the images online? The Caribou disc looked great, but the album jacket looks well loved (a nice word for crappy). Do you have other Parlophone/Dyna records in your collection? It'd be amazing if one of your viewers actually has a mono version of Empty Sky for you. Maybe the reason we don't ever see something like that is because perhaps the mono version was only released as a test pressing and didn't go beyond that stage of post-production. I'm thinking that the CD tray inserts for that disc was custom made for the jewel case and was not an actual scan of the mono album cover. I could be wrong, but a test pressing could explain why we never see a mono version on the table. I was told that the Radiocord boot was one of the main reasons that DJM rush released 17-11-70 because the boot was selling so well. Why not officially release it and make a profit instead of the bootlegger? Looking forward to seeing/learning more of your holy grail acquisitions.

[@CollectingElton]

The only EJ album I have on Parlo is the 1973 “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” 2LP. The “Caribou” image is borrowed from an auction site. I’m still not sure how many EJ albums appeared in the Philippines on Parlo, but Discogs contains entries for at least a few, including “Empty Sky”. Once EJ was on Rocket, his albums (from “Single Man” onward) appeared in the Philippines on Rocket. In fact, the Philippines was one of the territories where “Single Man” appeared on the “green choo-choo” Rocket label. The maker of the mono “Empty Sky” CD must’ve scanned the back of a first-state UK LP sleeve (i.e. sleeve without sticker or sticker scar) for the back panel of the CD booklet. The back of the inlay or tray card is a revision of the 1986 West German DJM CD. But yes, the disc design/screening was done with a computer; there were unique mono LP labels in 1969, but they looked exactly the same as the stereo LP labels except for the catalogue number. As far as I know, the true mono LP copies of “Empty Sky” out there were stock copies - there just weren’t too many of them, maybe (at a guess) a few hundred. They had their own catalogue number and LP labels. Goodness knows why anyone at DJM would’ve thought in 1969 that a market still existed (outside of radio) for dedicated mono mixes. Perhaps some of the mono copies circulated as after-market promos; but I’ve never seen or heard of a true mono copy turning up with a “Sample Record” sticker or any kind of promo markings on it. Either way, one must be careful when seeking a true mono copy; you won’t know for sure that you have a genuine mono copy in your hands until you play it or at least check the matrix numbers; copies have turned up housed in first-state mono sleeves and with mono labels but still play in stereo(!). I’m not sure which appeared first, but “Radiocord” and “Very Alive” are two of the earliest “November 1970” boots I know of. Others appeared later, but they were longer - usually 2LPs.

[@herculesstudioltd]

i have empty sky 1969 mono lp called Gullivers Gone and a stereo mix lp version bootlegs

[@CollectingElton]

I have "Gulliver's Gone" -- one of the many versions. I'm pretty sure it's stereo, but perhaps I should check again...

[@LogoKroko]

Happy New Year, Matt! I wish you all the best for 2025! Is it possible to contact you via email?

[@CollectingElton]

Happy new year! Yes, if you 're logged into your YT account, when you click on the "Channel Information" there should be an email address there. (I'd just paste it here but KZbin automatically deletes comments with email addresses and/or links.)

[@LogoKroko]

​@@CollectingEltonThank you, but there's just the Channel Info without the mail address. Or at least that's all I can see (I'm logged into my account.)